Terms for Endearment : Business, NGOs and Sustainable Development

Increasingly, companies view engagement with NGOs as part of a strategy for the pursuit of sustainable development. This book presents the views of leading international figures on the relationship between business, NGOs and sustainable development.

Business and NGOs are seen by many to be locked in a perpetual war of values and ideologies. What this book demonstrates is that the war has moved on. Many companies are now engaging with their stakeholders – even those with which they have traditionally had antagonistic relationships – as part of their strategies for improved social and environmental performance.  With contributions from an outstanding and diverse group of experts from business, consultancy, research institutes, NGOs and academia, Terms for Endearment investigates the how and why of these new collaborations and provides concrete examples of business working with stakeholder pressure for sustainable development.  The book forcibly argues the notion of organizations of civil society setting the standards for business behaviour in the 21st century. For those companies that choose not to pursue high standards of social and environmental performance, confrontation with NGOs must be expected, with negative consequences for sales, costs and social capital, i.e. the bottom line. Terms for Endearment therefore presents business with both a threat and opportunity as we move closer to establishing a social basis for global economic activity.